Jerry Soifer, longtime Corona-Norco sports writer and photographer, dies
Khai Le
Jerry Soifer, a longtime Inland Empire journalist and photographer known for capturing local sports and community life — particularly in the Corona-Norco area — has died. He was 80.
Soifer, who was nicknamed “Scoop” by high school athletes, died Wednesday, April 30, at his Corona home.
He spent nearly five decades documenting life across western Riverside County as a reporter and photographer. Soifer also spent 35 years photographing games for the NFL’s Raiders as a credentialed photographer, regularly shooting from the sidelines at home and road games. He also covered other pro football teams.
“Jerry was quirky. He was talented beyond belief with a camera in his hand,” Cindy Martinez-Rhodes, a former colleague and close friend, said Monday, May 5. “Everybody knew him. We’d be at gas stations or restaurants and someone would always say, ‘Hey Scoop, remember me? You took pictures of me when I played football at Norco High.’ He was just that memorable.”
Soifer joined the Corona-Norco Independent in 1979 after working as a news assistant at the Los Angeles Times. He continued his career at The Press-Enterprise when it acquired the Independent. After retiring from the newspaper, he continued writing and shooting photos as a freelance journalist.
Over the years, Soifer became known for his dedication to covering youth and high school sports.
“Sports seemed very special to me, sports in general, seemed to be a reward for good grades in school,” Soifer said in a 2001 interview that was part of an oral history project involving the Corona Public Library. “My father was very interested in sports. He took us to Cleveland once for a game because we got good grades.”
Mitch Stephens, a sports editor for High School on SI, wrote in a post on X, that Soifer “loved high school sports. Did it the right way … Had a keen eye… Struck me as a man who cared deeply about what he was doing. Cared about the kids and their coverage.”
Jeremiah Lee Soifer was born Sept. 3, 1944, in Washington, D.C., and spent part of his childhood in Pittsburgh before moving to Southern California. He graduated from Venice High School and earned a degree from UCLA in 1967.
Beyond local sports, Soifer also covered other professional teams in Los Angeles, including the Lakers, Dodgers, Angels and Galaxy. His work appeared in Ebony magazine, NFL Gameday, the Dallas Morning News and Bo Jackson’s autobiography, “Bo Knows Bo.”
“He shot Little League baseball with the same professionalism he reserved for the NFL,” Martinez-Rhodes said.
One example of Soifer’s familiarity on the Corona-Norco high school sports beat came in the early 2000s. He was photographing a police call in Corona. Officers had their guns drawn while apprehending a suspect. As police made the arrest, the man looked up, recognized Soifer, and said, “Hi, Scoop! ‘Remember me from football?’”
It was a former high school athlete Soifer had photographed years earlier.
Alan Llavore, Soifer’s former editor in The Press-Enterprise’s Corona bureau in the late 1990s, recalled Soifer’s presence in the office, where he was known to run out the door with his camera equipment when the police scanner broadcast a fire or police activity.
“Everybody knew him,” Llavore said. “He had a lot of energy. I remember him coming into my office, super excited about something, and he’d be mid-munch on a roll, talking fast with crumbs flying because he just couldn’t wait to tell you what was going on.”
In 2024, he was named as a community member to Norco High School’s Hall of Fame. He also was among those honored by the Corona-Norco school board for supporting student athletes.
Longtime Norco High School baseball coach Gary Parcell also remembered Soifer on Monday.
“He was very professional about everything he did and was passionate about his work, especially his photography,” Parcell said. “He was very big in the Corona-Norco area and he will definitely be missed.”
Soifer is survived by his brother Tom Soifer and Tom’s wife, Maryanna Soifer, of Altadena.
Services for Jerry Soifer will be in late May, but further details are not yet available.
Arrangements are being handled by Thomas Miller Mortuary & Crematory in Corona.